898 REPORT—1896, 
SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 19. 
The Section did not meet, 
MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 21, 
The following Report and Papers were read :— 
1. Report on Small Screw Gauges.—See Reports, p. 527. 
2. Test of Glow Lamps. By W. H. Preece, C.B., F.R.S. 
3. The Liverpool Overhead Railway and the Southern Extension of it. 
By 8. B. Corrrett. 
4. Notes on Electric Cranes. By E. W, ANDERSON. 
After some introductory remarks, the author states that his object is to give 
an account of the experience gained during the last eight years at the Erith Iron 
Works, where two electric travelling cranes have been in constant use for about that 
eriod. 
3 No actual experiments are, however, given, as a paper with all such informa- 
tion is to be read by Mr. Rayenshaw at the Institution of Civil Engineers, and it 
is not considered advisable to forestall this in any way. 
A brief description of a 20-ton crane in the foundry is given, to which electricity 
was applied as a motive power early in 1888, and of which a full account was 
written in a paper read before the British Association in the same year by Dr. W. 
Anderson, C.B., F.R.S. 
This crane is driven by one single motor which actuates all the different 
motions, and the paper describes some of the difficulties at first experienced with 
it, and the way in which they were overcome. c 
A self-contained steam crane was shortly afterwards placed in the foundry of 
the same size, and enabled a comparison to be made of the practical advantages of 
each, and of the amount of repairs required by them, resulting in the practical 
proof of the superiority of the electric one, by the fact that early prejudice against 
it had been quite overcome, and that now it was greatly preferred to the other. 
Not only are the repairs required less, but in several other ways the electric 
crane is both more convenient and less costly. 
Attention is called to the first motion gearing of the electric crane, which 
though satisfactory was very noisy, and the means whereby it was much improved 
are mentioned, though from the necessities of the particular circumstances it can- 
not be made quite as noiseless as it should be. 
A description then follows of a second crane in the turnery to which electricity 
was applied shortly after the first was started, but which had to be dealt with in 
a different manner, namely, by applying a separate motor for each motion, the first 
motion gear consisting of short belts with jockey pulleys. The motions were 
therefore controlled by three reversing switches, and a brake for lowering. 
The method of collecting the current was different from that used in the foundry, 
and is fully described. 
This crane has also proved very successful, and has given very little trouble. 
The belt reduction gear is quite noiseless. 
